Unspoken Loyalty
by coolsville times
Summary: After Magneto is banished from Genosha, Wanda takes over and is plagued with doubts about some of the Acolytes' loyalty. Jonda.


_Unspoken Loyalty..._

**Disclaimer:** I do **NOT** own Wolverine and the X-men or the characters depicted in this fic.

**Summary:** After Magneto is banished from Genosha, Wanda takes over and is plagued with doubts about some of the Acolytes' loyalty.

**Notes:** Just a warning, this is my first Wolverine and the X-men fic so it might not be very good. I can see that this is Wolverine and the X-men's first taste of a, before now, strictly X-Men Evolution pairing but I just couldn't help but write this little piece for I will always and forever love this couple. Wolverine and the X-men fans, say hello to _Jonda_.

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_Unspoken Loyalty..._

Wanda sighed and ran a hand through her hair as she walked through the halls of the Genoshan palace...her palace. Many days had come and gone since she had banished her father from the shores of Genosha and turned her back on his terrorist, yet somehow, well-meaning ideals.

Genosha now belonged to her.

Wanda shook her head and mentally corrected herself. Genosha now belonged to the people.

Surprisingly the exile of Magneto went off without a hitch, sparking no back-lash or riots from Magneto supporters. The Acolytes followed her without question, knowing that she truly had everyone's best interest at heart. No one even stepped up to protest when Wanda led Genosha into an alliance with the X-men. Everything seemed to be going wonderfully and Wanda couldn't have been happier. Things were finally going the way they were supposed to. Genosha was finally living up to its original purpose.

The city had been rebuilt and the horrid holding pens had been dealt with, their prisoners set free on guarded probation. Wanda was no fool to think that mutants didn't have human ties back on the mainland so now the communication tower was open to the public, though all calls were monitored, even her own.

Even though things were going good and working themselves out, Wanda couldn't shake the feeling of darkness surrounding her. Darkness within the walls of Genosha, a shadow looming over the city preparing to strike at the opportune moment, a shadow willing to prey on anyone who had the slightest doubt about her lovely mutant haven and the thought scared her. It truly scared her to even think about someone thwarting the good of Genosha, the purity of her fair city, smiting Genosha's good name with evil thoughts and vicious plots of war and domination.

This thought, this frightening heart wrenching thought was what brought Wanda to Blink's door this night.

Everyone had expected the daughters of Magneto to rule Genosha together but Wanda had quickly shown Genoshan citizens that this was not the case. Wanda had chosen Blink to be her second in command after she took over rule. Lorna wanted no part of leading Genosha, as she had vocally expressed to Wanda many times and in a way, it was good that Lorna didn't want to lead. On occasion she could be such a spoiled, narrow minded child but Wanda supposed that this was just young age and that Lorna would mature in the ways of the world as years swept over her.

Shaking thoughts of her sister from her mind, Wanda took a deep breath and knocked on Blink's door. In mere seconds the door opened, revealing the beautiful pink skinned mutant. It was almost as if she'd been waiting for Wanda to call on her.

"Miss Wanda," She greeted, stepping aside and allowing Wanda entrance to her living space. "What can I do for you? There is no trouble I hope."

"No, Blink, nothing's wrong. I'm sorry for seeking your counsel so late but I really need to talk to you." Wanda apologized a bit sheepishly.

Wanda would be the first to admit that she was probably just being rather paranoid but it was hard to not fear disaster with so many things changing.

"Something's on your mind."

It was a statement not a question. Wanda and Blink had been friends since they were thirteen--since the beginning of the talk of war, and had learned to read each other rather well.

"What's wrong, Wanda?" Blink asked in a concerned tone as she walked over to Wanda and took her hands in both of her own.

"I'm probably just overreacting..." Wanda began, looking anywhere but at the understanding eyes in front of her.

"You have a feeling, don't you?" Blink suddenly questioned, a gentle smile creeping over her face.

Wanda nodded her head guiltily. Ever since she was a little girl Wanda had always been very in tune with her body and her psyche, always listening to what her conscious was telling her. When most people got a funny feeling in their stomach, they blamed it on the food they ate but Wanda would look at it as a sign that not everything was as it should be. Sometimes her feelings were right and sometimes they did nothing but get her into unnecessary mischief.

Gently pulling her hands from Blink's, Wanda turned her back on her friend and walked over to the window. Down below the high palace she could see the city of Genosha in all its glory. It was such a shame people never paid attention to little things like their surroundings, for Genosha was a sight to see at night. All lit up like some grand theatre, every fountain in the court yard spitting water into the sky, mutants--young and old alike in the streets demonstrating their powers and watching the powers of others. It was times like this when Wanda wished she had an artistic bone in her body, it was times like this when she wished she could paint or draw or even write. Something, anything to capture the mystique of her fair city.

Blink's hand on her shoulder pulled her mind from the window and back to the topic at hand, though her eyes never strayed from the scene below.

"What's wrong, Wanda?" Blink asked again. Her inquiry was not demanding but gentle and kind, as though she were dealing with a child and for all Wanda's wisdom and intelligence, she was very much like a child.

She was still fascinated by the simplest things, new talents and knowledge caught her attention and held her paralyzed and there was always something about a good story that captivated her whether it be real or fiction. In many ways, Blink felt Wanda was too young to be a leader, too young to have so much depend on her but still she knew Wanda was the perfect person to rule. She was kind and caring but strong and unyielding, she ruled with a clear head and a fair hand.

"I just have a feeling that something dark looms over us." Wanda finally revealed, still never taking her eyes from the window. "Is there anyone you can think of that would betray Genosha?"

Blink's eyes widened a little at the question but one look at Wanda's slumped over and defeated posture told her that Wanda hated asking the question just as much as she hated hearing it.

"No one right off hand. Everyone follows you with an undying loyalty, Wanda. No one would ever think of betraying your word by helping..."

Even though Blink's words trailed off into the night, her sentence never completely finished--closed lips sealing the ending inside her, Wanda knew what Blink was about to say. Wanda knew the name that Blink and the rest of the Acolytes bit their tongues to keep from uttering.

Magneto. His memory would always haunt Genosha.

"There is only one person," Blink started uneasily. "Who has not had much to say on...Magneto's exile." She stated, whispering Magneto's name as though if she said it any louder he would magically appear in front of them.

Wanda's eyes found Blink's for the first time since the majestic scene in the streets of Genosha caught her attention, asking the question that hung in the air with just a look. Blink provided the answer with her next breath.

"Pyro."

Wanda stared at Blink for another moment before looking back out the window.

"I know how you feel about him but he is the only one who hasn't verbally proclaimed is loyalty to you..."

Wanda deafly nodded, not really hearing Blink's words.

John was her friend.

He had been since the X-men had saved him from the MRD and he had taken refuge on Genosha.

Why? Why did it have to be him?

As Wanda tore her eyes from the window, bade Blink a hurried farewell and retreated to the hallway she prayed to the heavens that John would not betray her, that her feelings were wrong. Please oh please let her be wrong.

As Wanda started her trek down the hall, she detangled her crown-like headdress from her hair and played with it in her hand. Should she seek him out tonight or should she wait 'til the morrow?

It was a tough decision for if she approached him tonight, tired as she was she would end up showing weakness, she might even start crying. The day had been long and each minute she spent still walking around took its toll on her. If she waited 'til morning, however, they would have an audience. Wanda had learned in her short time as ruler that leaders never had a waking moment to themselves, if she wanted something done in private she would have to wait until everyone was asleep.

Deciding that this particular conversation should be held in private and that if she didn't confront him tonight, she would never get any sleep, Wanda quickly changed her direction from her abode to John's.

As she neared his room, her pace slowed considerably from her normally quick strides. How would she confront him?

At one time, when she had first met John, she fancied herself in love with him. He had been so many places, seen so many things; he was a writer and he was sensitive, yet a man in every sense of the word and he had wit. Wanda had--and still did admire all these qualities about him. He had even stolen a kiss or two from her on occasion. Not long before Magneto's downfall, however, John had changed. It started just before Kurt's first appearance on Genosha and only got worse with his presence.

John had stopped making time to see her, he'd stopped finding excuses to deliver her messages from her father, he'd stopped talking to her...he'd stopped kissing her. Then he became angry with her. When Kurt was on the island, John would find reasons to pick fights with her. He would pick on her about hanging around Kurt's containment unit, he would make fun of her for reading to him, talking to him and then when Magneto was banished, he'd stopped talking to her altogether. The only time he was even in the same room with her now was when she was speaking to the Acolytes on a matter of great importance.

Wanda hadn't expected the change in him and it had hurt. It still hurt. To her knowledge, she'd done nothing wrong but he was still distant and there was nothing she could do. Given her, little to no, experience with men, Wanda had assumed that only young boys acted in such a manner but John had proven her wrong. It seemed that no matter what the age a man was a man and personally, she found no current use for them. She would most likely have to take a consort soon to secure her place as ruler of Genosha but until then she didn't want to think of men.

Lorna had been wrong when she accused Wanda of being in love with an X-man for Wanda was still in love with John--if she'd ever been in love, that is. The only reason Wanda made efforts to spend time with Kurt was because she could see so much of John in his roguish attitude. Wanda longed for the times when John would walk with her in the garden and hold her closely when no one was around, she longed for the times when she could go to him with her problems and he would shush her and tell her that all would be well. Most importantly she longed for the times when he would snatch her from a deserted hallway and steal kisses from her in the shadows.

Sighing, something she found herself doing a lot of lately, Wanda slowed to a stop in front of the pyrokinetics room. Taking a deep breath, Wanda placed her headdress back on her head and knocked on the door. After minutes of receiving no answer, Wanda sighed and knocked again. Finally she heard the sounds of stirring within his room and heard a groggy: "Just a minute." from the other side of the door.

When the door finally opened John stood before her, eyes half closed, hair wild and sticking up everywhere, cheeks flushed with warmth and he had the imprint of what looked like computer keys on his forehead. Upon seeing her, his eyes widened and he quickly ran a hand through his hair in a futile attempt to put it back into place before trying to straighten his rumpled clothing.

"'Ey, sheila. What can I do for ya?" He asked, moving away from the door so that she could enter.

Wanda walked further into the room before turning back around to see him trying to shut the door and tuck his shirt in at the same time. Giggling a little despite herself, Wanda turned from the sight and walked over to his desk. His laptop was set up and there were little scraps of paper with messy handwriting lying all around under the dim lamp light.

"Writing?" She questioned curiously, pulling out the desk chair and turning it away from the desk. She didn't want him to feel like she was being nosy. She'd known John long enough to know that if he wanted you to see what he was writing, which was rare, he'd show you. Until that happened, it was best if you kept silent except for vague inquiry and didn't press the matter.

"Tryin'." He responded sheepishly, watching as she sat down facing him. "Tryin' and failin'."

Wanda nodded and looked down at her hands, which were elegantly placed in her lap. She didn't know where to start or how to bring up the subject of loyalty. This was going to be a lot harder than she'd originally thought.

"Well, I don't see ya around my neck of the woods much anymore. What can I do for ya?" John asked cheerily. The cheer was fake, though and Wanda could tell. He always had been terrible at hiding his true feelings.

She was an expert at it, though so she found it easy to mask the annoyance and hurt she felt at his first statement. The reason she hadn't been around his 'neck of the woods' was because of him. Completely and wholeheartedly.

"I've just been busy." She easily lied. When had lying gotten so easy? When had it become effortless to make up an excuse for something? When had it become necessary to lie to John? "Actually, I regret to say, I'm only here on business." Wanda informed, watching as John's fake-cheer reverted to its true form, the form of sadness or was it indifference? Wanda couldn't tell.

"Something wrong?" He asked in a concerned tone and Wanda found it hard to tell whether that was real concern lacing his voice or just a show he was putting on.

Who would the show be for, though? No one was around but Wanda. He didn't have to put on airs for her, or did he?

"No, nothing too terrible, I just wanted to..." Wanda started but found herself trailing as the words escaped her. How could she put this delicately? After a moment Wanda figured if she couldn't go delicate, blunt was the best way to go. "I just wanted to know where your loyalties lay." She stated, effectively shocking John to the core.

He stood there in the middle of the room gaping at her like a fish out of water, mouth opening as if he were to speak, only to close again for lack of words.

"I've just been having a bad feeling lately and I need to know that everyone is on board with me." Wanda began to explain, seeing the genuine puzzlement on John's face. "I talked to Blink about my concerns and she said you were the only one who hadn't had much to say about the overthrow of Magneto...about my leadership."

Sighing, John walked over to where Wanda was sitting and got down on his knees in front of her. Taking both of her hands in his, much like Blink had done earlier, he began to speak.

"You don't need to worry none about me and me loyalties, luv, I've always been on board with you." He confessed, staring their hands as his thumbs gently caressed her knuckles.

"Then why have you been so distant and disagreeable?"

The question was out before she could stop it but John didn't seemed surprised by her inquiry.

"I was gettin' too close to ya. You...you're like royalty here and I'm nothin' but a toy soldier in Genosha's little army. I'm not even the head toy soldier." He rattled off before taking a deep breath and raising his eyes to hers. Blue met blue and Wanda's tiredness finally kicked in, tears spilling down her cheeks as his explanation got deeper and his accent thicker. "I knew I'd never be good enough for ya so I figured I'd just keep me distance."

Wanda nodded and raised her hand to wipe her cheeks, forgetting that their hands were entwined together.

"Here, let me help." He offered, detangling their hands from one another and reaching up, gently brushing her tears away with his thumb.

"Is that why you were so cross with me when Kurt was here?" Wanda suddenly asked, making Johns fingers pause momentarily in their work before he regained his wits and kept at what he'd been doing.

"Yeah. I know it wasn't fair for me to push you away and then make it so that ya felt bad about Kurt but...I couldn't bear to think of anyone else havin' ya while I was stuck wantin' ya." He explained, cupping her face in his hands as the last of her tears were swept away. "I've always had an unspoken loyalty to you, luv, I thought you knew that."

"Sometimes it's hard to tell." Wanda whispered, looking down into her lap where her hands now lay, fidgeting slightly as the mood changed from business, to confessional to intimate. "I never really liked Kurt in that way, you know." She started, feeling as though she must tell him the truth. "The main reason I liked him was because he reminded me so much of you and you'd become distant."

John chuckled lightly at her confession as a well placed hand under her chin raised her eyes to meet his.

"Looks like we've both been big fools, 'eh?" He laughed.

"Looks like..." Wanda trailed, silently wondering where this left them.

John shook his head as she voiced this question aloud.

"I'm not sure. I don't know how the people of Genosha would take it if the knew that you were seein' someone so soon after you took power."

Wanda smiled the first true smile she'd smiled in ages. "So you do want to see me then?" She asked shyly.

"Yeah, sheila, I do want to see ya." He laughed, pulling her to the edge of her seat and wrapping his arms around her.

"Then I say who cares what the people of Genosha think?" She started. "I mean, they'll want me to get married sooner or later, some of them sooner than others by the sound of a few letters that have darkened my mailbox. They'll have to get used to seeing me with someone and I'm sure they'd rather that someone be part of the royal army..." She trailed.

John looked up at her in astonishment. She still wanted to be with him after everything he'd put her through? After the awful way he'd treated her? After making a life changing decision for her without her having any say in it at all? She sure was something.

"What?" Wanda asked as she noticed the strange way he was looking at her.

"Nothing, just thinking of how lucky I am that I have you." He whispered, hugging her closer.

"And I you, John. Unspoken loyalty and all."

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_Okay, it was rather fluffy and a tad angsty but I hope everyone enjoyed it none the less. Remember that this was my first WATXM fic so if it was terrible, please go easy on me. I hope you all see fit to review and give your input; I'd love to hear what you have to say. _

_Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day. _

_-Midnight Larkin._ **;)**


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